Savaged

by Nacole Stayton

  After I race around, shoving my clothes into my tote bag and dumping my toiletries into it, I flee the room. Opening the door, I run head first into Jarod.

  “What are you doing?” he asks, his eyebrows bunched together in the middle.

  Knowing my cheeks are flushed with anger, I’m sure he is wondering why I’m storming out of the room with everything I own on my arm. “I’m leaving. What’s it look like I’m doing?” Bile rises in my throat as I try not to make eye contact with him. I’m not in the mood to answer anyone’s questions right now.

  “All right, well let me come with you. You shouldn’t be alone right now.” He reaches for the bag on my shoulder, but I stop him.

  “Honestly, what I need is to be alone right now. Please see to it that Ruth knows that I’ve left the estate. I’m sure she will want to wash and turn down the comforter.”

  I watch as a play of emotions turn Jarod’s face to stone. “You’re leaving for good? What the hell happened in there?”

  “You should ask your boss those questions. I’ve got to go,” I mutter hastily as I breeze by Jarod.

  “Just stop for one flipping minute and think about this,” Jarods protests, sounding concerned.

  “I’m a big girl, Jarod. I was perfectly capable of driving myself around before. I can surely handle it now. So, if you’ll please excuse me, all I want to do is get home.”

  “Go get in my damn car. You don’t look like you’re in any shape to drive. I’ll take you. No arguments.”

  Huffing, I know that there’s no use in fighting with Jarod, too. I spin on my heels, marching down the stairs and out the front door.

  As my feet move me forward, I think back on Niko’s words. What on earth led him to the assumption that there was anything even remotely romantic between Jarod and me? I briefly reconsider his offer to drive me home until my phone chimes in my bag. It’s a reminder that Niko paid for my phone…and me.

  “Jarod, can you give me a few minutes. I need to do something.”

  Hands in his pockets, Jarod leans against the wall and nods his head.

  I pull the phone out of my bag and walk into the kitchen. Ruth is staring wide-eyed when I round the corner. She’s never here this late, but for whatever reason, I’m thankful that she is tonight. “Can you please get me a pen and a piece of paper?” I ask her, as she looks me up and down conspicuously.

  She’s always been so polite and never looked at me like a piece of trash or a paid whore, which is exactly how I feel at this very moment. As she hands the items I requested to me, she smiles coyly and turns around to look out the window.

  Quickly, I scribble something down and then fold the paper and place it on the marble counter underneath the cell phone.

  “Ruth, I’m sorry to bug you again, but if it isn’t too much trouble, could you see to it that Mr. Marks gets this letter?” She doesn’t speak as she nods her head and reaches to grab my note and phone. It’s an empty feeling, knowing that I just returned everything that connected me to Niko.

  A fragile smile lingers on my mouth, as I realize that the one thing I gave him, I’ll never get back.

  My heart.

  LONG AFTER CAMBREE LEAVES, I stand with nothing but a pair of shorts on, and stare at the night skies though my window, baffled. What just happened? Foreign emotions rush through my veins and I know that I royally messed up. I knew it before I took my first sip last night. I knew it when I told Jarod to take care of her. I’ve been subconsciously pushing her away since the day we met.

  I’ve fought desperately to regain some sense of normalcy and control in my life. Things I had recovered before meeting Cambree Rae Evans, but since I’ve known her, my world has been turned upside down, shaken up like a snow globe. Normalcy went out the window the moment our lips met. She laughed at my controlling tendencies so I became more lenient. She yearned for me to see the light.

  Cambree was a warm ray of light in my dark, gloomy world. And now she was gone and all I see, all I feel, is a bitter chill from her absence.

  Without turning on the light, I head into my en suite bathroom. I don’t dare look into the mirror as I grab my toothbrush and apply a small amount of paste. Afraid is an understatement. I’m petrified of picking up the pieces of my life for the second time and gluing them back together. At least when my parents died I had help, assistance from my “work” family.

  Now I have no one.

  Neil is off fighting a losing battle. If Anton was to be found, it would have happened a long time ago. Clearly, Anton has a bigger agenda. He most likely wants to finish what he failed to do in the first place and murder me, taking me off the map, once and for all. Jarod is off helping Cambree; I’m almost sure of it, and the thought alone makes me want to hurl. I watched from my balcony as he opened the door for Cambree and drove off with her.

  Poor, hopeless Jarod. He’s chasing a woman who’s already been claimed. What is even sadder than that truth is, I know that Cambree doesn’t feel romantically interested in him at all. But still, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that he adores her. Hating myself for pushing her right into my employee and best friend’s arms, a hopeless sound escapes my lips. I know that I’ve ruined it.

  As much as I wanted to push her away, it kills me to know that I succeeded. Sitting here, I realize that love no longer surrounds me, and the darkness that I once cherished envelops me again.

  As I dig my keys out of my purse, the sound of them jiggling startles me. I use force to push the key in the hole and unlock my apartment door. The stale smell of remorse greets me. I can’t even recall the last time I’ve slept in my own bed. Living in the estate spoiled me beyond belief. From the food that I ingested to the body soap that I used, I was practically royalty there.

  Now I’m back to being scum living in a rundown apartment.

  Goose bumps run rampant on my skin as I drag my bag behind me. I’m not cold, but the realization of leaving Niko hits me. I feel a strange sense of frigidness, distance, and it’s alarming.

  He pushed me away when I was vulnerable. I am grieving and in my own way, I just need to feel loved. My heart was already crushed, and he backed right over it, smothering it in the dirt. But a part of me still feels sorry for him, because although he didn’t say it aloud, I know he was hurting on the inside, too. As I sit on the edge of my worn couch, my hands play with the frayed strings of the seam, and I close my eyes, remembering the face of the man I left. He looked so lost, distraught and out of touch with his own emotions.

  A blank stare made a permanent home across his scared, rugged, but flawless face. His beauty is perfect, just like I had thought. His hair is a dark chocolate color, his eyes a sweet honeycomb, and his lips are as plump and perfectly shaped as a ripe plum. One thing that stood out was indeed the large scar that laced his cheek. I tried not to notice, but it’s there, pink and raised just a tad. In its own way, it is beautiful. It tells a story of a man who fought the depths of death and won. To me, the scar isn’t a horrid sight. It is a magical piece of art, something he should be proud of, not embarrassed to reveal. He was a survivor of an unfortunate crime. His scars would forever be a permanent fixture on his face, carved into his flesh is a badge of honor. I know he doesn’t see it like that. He hates himself for whatever reason. But to me the scar represents so much more.

  It didn’t matter though, not in the end. Exhaling a breath that I’ve been holding, I open my eyes and look around my empty apartment. I’m sure there’s nothing to eat in the refrigerator, I think to myself as my stomach growls. It’s almost dinner time, and honestly, I just didn’t give a damn about eating before.

  It won’t do any good moping around. I left what I had to say to him on his table. The words ‘I don’t love you’ play on repeat in my mind as I hold my starving stomach.

  “Bree, do you want me to get you some food? You don’t look like you want to be alone and I can hear your stomach growling,” Jarod asks as he stands a few feet away from me.

  I was so lost in
my own thoughts that I forgot he was even here. Luckily, my Louisville Slugger wasn’t nearby or he would have gotten beat with it.

  “Umm, I think tonight all I need is to be alone. I have a lot to sort through, but thank you for the ride. I appreciate it.” I smile timidly.

  Jarod takes a step closer to me. I tilt my head to the side, unsure of what he is doing. He takes another step and leans forward. Our faces are practically touching. I can feel the warmth of his skin as his hand brushes a piece of hair out of my line of vision. “He doesn’t know what he just gave up,” he whispers as he tucks the loose hair behind my ear. His movement sends chills through my body, and not in a good way.

  “Jar—” Before I can get his name out of my mouth, his lips crush into mine. He yanks my head closer and I try to pull away, but his strength is overpowering. His tongue plunges into my mouth. If I could gag, I would. It’s a rough kiss. There’s nothing sweet about it. And it’s disgusting.

  “Jarod!” I scream. With my mouth full of his tongue, I’m sure his name is barely audible.

  My old phone is most likely dead, lying in a drawer in the other room. I’m stuck here, helpless, with a man who won’t take no for an answer. I push him away with my hands, but he grabs both of my wrists with one of his and pulls them down toward my knees. He’s in control.

  As wet as my mouth is from being mixed with his nasty saliva, I feel like I’m choking. This cannot be happening. I didn’t even know that he liked me. I’m not naïve, but I honestly thought his flirting was innocent. He’s taking things to an entirely new level. Pushing himself on me isn’t going to suddenly change my heart and cause me to develop feelings for him. Using his other hand, he grips my neck. I can feel his fingers tangling in my hair, roaming my skull, pushing my face closer to his.

  He starts to push me back against the couch. I’m not helpless and I’m a survivor. Surely, I can find a way out of this situation. Closing my eyes, I rack my brain for a solution to stop him.

  As if a guardian angel heard my silent pleas, my front door swings open.

  CAMBREE IS MY WEAKNESS. And much like obsessions, they come with a price. It wasn’t longer than five minutes ago that Ruth came up to my room to deliver a note that Cambree had left, along with her cell phone.

  I’ve read the note over fifteen times now.

  There was a time once, not too long ago, that the absence of anything good in my life was my normal. When you hired me, I was a struggling college dropout. There was no hope of change in my future, and then I met you. You invited me into the dark and oddly, it wasn’t as frightening as I thought that first night. I felt alive in your arms. I felt cherished and adored. One day soon, I hope you realize that you love me, because I’ve known it all along.

  -Bree

  The words are burned into my brain. They play on repeat. One day soon, I hope you realize that you love me, because I’ve known it all along. I fucking love her. There’s not a shadow of a doubt in my mind, heart, or soul. She is my answer for everything. All the time that I spent in that dark wasn’t for nothing. I’ve just been waiting on my ray of light to shine down to me.

  She’s my escape, my refuge, and my future. I’ve been too blind to see it until now. I don’t care about the media or my company finding out that I’m alive. All I care about is telling my sweet girl that I’m sorry and begging for her forgiveness. Marching to my closet, I open it and rummage through my drawers. I pull out a pair of faded jeans, a black sweatshirt, and a black ball cap.

  Tossing on my clothes, I spray on a little cologne and slide on my boots. I’m lucky my driver’s license hasn’t expired yet as I skip down the steps two-by-two. Ruth is in the kitchen as I walk through the arched doorway. I hear her gasp and the knife she is holding falls to the floor.

  “Mr. Marks, please forgive me.” She turns her head as if she is afraid that I am about to scold her again.

  “Don’t apologize. Please, turn around,” I say, wanting her to face me. Holding my breath, I watch as she apprehensively tilts her head to look at me. Her cheeks are red and her eyes are wide. I can tell that she isn’t sure what is going on and why I’m not yelling at her. Our only other previous encounter wasn’t a pleasant one. “Please, call me Niko. My name isn’t Louis Marks. It’s Niko Kincaid,” I admit. A mixture of uncertainty and questioning crosses her face. I can tell she is confused, but I have no time to explain right now.

  “Can you please tell me where we keep the car keys?” I ask nonchalantly. It’s ridiculous that I don’t even know where anything is in my own home, I know this, but it’s not like I get out much.

  Her eyes roam over my body as her voice breaks, hardly a whisper comes out. “Which vehicle would you be driving, sir?”

  “I suppose the Bentley.”

  “Okay, sir,” she replies in a small frightened voice.

  “Ruth, what is your last name?” I ask.

  “Martinez.”

  “Miss Martinez, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I hold my hand out in front me. Her hand is shaky as she reaches out and grabs mine.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kincaid. Are you hungry? Is that why you’re leaving the estate? I can order someone to bring something to you.”

  “Miss Martinez, I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness, but no, I’m not hungry. I have an errand I have to attend to, but when I get home, I’d love to share a meal with you and get to know you. I’m sorry that I haven’t made a better effort before, but I can guarantee that moving forward, I will.”

  She glances up, and smiles. I notice small laugh lines around her mouth. It reminds me of my mother’s smile. It’s real and genuine. “That would be kind of you, Mr. Kincaid, but I know your rules. I do not want to lose my job. I have small children.”

  “I should have been a better employer in the past. I wasn’t, but I’d like to change that. But right now there is someone else that I have to apologize to.”

  Her white shoes tap on the tiled floor. “The keys are kept in the vehicles,” she says with a delightful look on her face. “Go get your girl. Cambree has been very kind to everyone around here.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” I turn on my heels and walk toward the garage door.

  My Bentley is a sight for sore eyes. I used to love driving this baby through the city. It’s been a long time. Climbing in, the smell of its clean leather fills my nostrils. Turing the key in the ignition, the sound of her purring to life has me eager to get her on the road.

  As I back out of the garage to start my journey, my fingers grip the wheel tightly. It’s been too long since I’ve driven, and that feeling mixed in with me being out in the open makes my stomach fill with queasiness.

  I turn on the radio and let the music guide me to a better place, as my eyes stay glued to the road. Trees on my property pass by my window and before I know it, I’m halfway to my destination. I have the address memorized from her file, as well as the directions. Pulling into an apartment complex, I spot Jarod’s car. My mouth pulls into a sour grin. I don’t give a flying fuck that he’s here because when I’m done telling her how I feel, she’s going to swoon right into my arms. She has to.

  Parking the car, I get out and lightly jog to her door. I can’t hear anyone talking, which is strange since I know Jarod is in there. Grabbing the knob, I twist and much to my surprise the door is unlocked. Opening it slowly, I stick my head in. I see the back of Jarod’s head. He’s bent, kneeling in front of Cambree. Her body is physically squirming in front of his.

  I’m confused. I’m pissed. I’m enraged.

  “Get the fuck off of her!” I roar, swinging the door the rest of the way open and step inside. Rage boils in my blood and all I see is red. In a few quick steps, I grip the back of his shirt and yank him up. Losing his balance, he stumbles in front of me.

  “She wants me!” he shouts as he pulls himself up on his feet. “She knows I can give her more than you ever could.”

  I glance over at Cambree who is gasping, panting in terror at the si
ght in front of her. Jarod has gone absolutely mad. My chest feels like my heart is going to burst out of it as my hand flies up and connects with his jaw. I can hear my fist hitting his face. His surprise at my actions is written on his face as he stares back at me. He rubs his jaw and laughs loudly. The sound is almost creepy.

  “Is there something that’s amusing you, you little prick? I trusted you like you were my brother and you swoop in and try to steal my girlfriend!”

  “Your girlfriend?” He wickedly laughs again, causing my temper to rise to a higher level. “When was the last time you’ve had a girlfriend? Better yet, when was the last time that you even ventured outside of your bedroom? If you’re her boyfriend, I feel sorry for her. We both know she doesn’t deserve the life you can offer her.”

  A tight knot within me begs to be let loose. I’ve never been big on violence unless it is absolutely necessary. I’m a respectable businessman. I believe in a fair and honest fight, but not tonight. Tonight I want to pummel his face into the ground and make him forget her name, and mine.

  Raising my fist in the air, I’m caught off guard when a dainty hand wraps around my forearm. It stops me in my tracks. “Don’t, you’ll be just as bad as those men who inflicted pain on you. You’re too good for this, Niko.” Cambree’s words flutter around me, calming me within a matter of seconds.

  Taking my eyes off Jarod, I look over at her. She’s standing beside me, visibly trembling. She was almost hurt by his hands, and here she is trying to protect him. The edges of her mouth are red, her cheeks tearstained. It makes me wonder just how long he’s been here, ill-treating her. I narrow my gaze, and peer into her eyes. My hand lowers as I whisper, “Okay.”

  Her chest falls as she lets out a breath. We both look over to Jarod, but the room is empty. We’re the only people standing in the small living room. The front door is still propped open. Rushing toward it, I look outside, only to hear his car’s screeching tires as it pulls out of the complex.